Speaking after releasing a book — Made in India — written by Amitabh Kant, India’s Sherpa at G20, Jaishankar said, “There is no major country in the world, which has sustained or enhanced its global position without some commensurate buildup of manufacturing.”

Observing that Indian growth cannot be built on Chinese efficiency, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that Indian businesses need to stop looking for a “China fix”.

Speaking after releasing a book — Made in India — written by Amitabh Kant, India’s Sherpa at G20, Jaishankar said, “There is no major country in the world, which has sustained or enhanced its global position without some commensurate buildup of manufacturing.”

“I’ve always believed that this focus on services was actually an elegant excuse for being incompetent and manufacturing. So, I think the bottom line, this country will never be a great country. If it is not a great manufacturer, I think that’s something which we need to understand,” he said.

Jaishankar said, “I think we need to stop looking for a China fix, that Indian growth cannot be built on Chinese efficiency, that ultimately, you know, if we are really to sustain and take the economy to a different level, we have to create the kind of domestic vendor changed that a serious manufacturing economy will do.”

“I know that it is not something which will happen overnight, but I can tell you, as someone in the government today, someone in the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee, we take as a priority today that, how do you build today the deep manufacturing, supply chains, which will be needed to do that,” said Jaishankar, adding that the government’s Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) is an effort, in that direction. (Indian Express)